<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Cold Moon and Burning Sand by RochiOmaru</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28318269">Cold Moon and Burning Sand</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RochiOmaru/pseuds/RochiOmaru'>RochiOmaru</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Romantic Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:34:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28318269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RochiOmaru/pseuds/RochiOmaru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura starts to dream about a certain blonde Akatsuki member, when suddenly he makes her an offer!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Deidara/Haruno Sakura</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Akatsuki Gift Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cold Moon and Burning Sand</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the fabulous Crow as party of the Tumblr Akatsuki Gift Exchange. My first fic... Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was bright and hot. Sakura could feel the heat burning on her forehead as she gathered her chakra and channeled it into her right fist. It always sent a sensation of excitement and overwhelming anticipation into her stomach, like electric butterflies that may burst through her at any moment, whenever she prepared to use the intense strength that Lady Tsunade had taught her. She had come a long way from the scared girl that cried in front of her enemies while Naruto and Sasuke lay bruised and helpless less than 100 meters from her. </p><p>The sound of her power welled within and overflowed to her throat in a primal cry as her feet began speeding towards the rock wall hiding the cave in which the Akatsuki had taken the Kazekage of the Sand. “CHAAAAAAAAA,” she cried out until she slammed her fist into the stone and it crumbled beneath her knuckles, bits flying in every direction. As the dust settled, her green eyes landed on the brightest blue eye she had ever seen. Her heart stuttered and she bit her lip to keep the gasp trapped inside. </p><p>Golden hair filled her vision before she noticed full lips smirking at her. He was as opposite in appearance as was humanly possible to the dark, brooding good looks worn by the love of her young life, but somehow the same expression of self-confidence and superiority was reflected on pale skin. The sound of her heartbeat filled her chest as Sakura took a step into the darkness…</p><p>Sakura sat up suddenly and she couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Confusion muddled her thoughts as she tried to get her bearings and she could feel softness underneath her legs. “Did I get knocked down?” she wondered to herself as she used her hands to feel around. </p><p>Slowly, as her heart slowed its pace, she realized she wasn’t in the cave at all, but was in her own bed. Her vision adjusted to the low light coming from her bedroom window and she could see her desk, the pile of clothes she left in a chair, and as she turned her head, she saw the picture of Team 7 she kept at her bedside. With slender fingers, Sakura gently picked up the framed photo and, for the first time in years, she didn’t feel the longing in her chest as her eyes landed on the scowling face of Uchiha Sasuke. Instead, her mind flashed to blonde hair and impossibly blue eyes. She realized she had been dreaming of the mission to the Sand again, and she shook her head while trying to dispel the odd feelings and thoughts from her mind.</p><p>It had been weeks since she, Naruto, and Kakashi had taken the trip to Sunagakure to rescue the red-headed leader of their nation. Apparently, a mercenary group of nins were attacking the jinchuriki of each nation and extracting the tailed beasts from them. Sakura narrowed her eyes as she wondered when they would come for her teammate, but as concerned as she was for his safety, she found conflicting emotions as she thought of the young man dressed in black and red that was in the cave that day. She didn’t know anything about him, other than he should be her enemy, but she figured he wasn’t much older than she was and just the memory of meeting him had her burning inside.</p><p>There was also a vague feeling of dissatisfaction with her life in Konoha. It started shortly after returning from Suna, kind of a distant feeling she had forgotten something. But as the weeks passed, the feeling became more nagging. She found herself reliving the battle with the puppet master of the Akatsuki and it made her feel alive. She had been cunning, powerful, and deadly. Since then, Sakura attempted to settle back into the pattern of training, hanging out with her friends, and working at the hospital, but it all seemed so mundane now. She felt something drawing her into another direction...</p><p>At that moment a flash of movement caught the young woman’s attention and she turned her eyes in the direction of the window. Had she left the window open? She slowly pulled back the covers and set her bare feet upon the floor. A chill ran up her spine, but it wasn’t a totally bad feeling. More of anticipation, than of fear. The curtains were gently fluttering in the cool, night breeze, however Sakura knew this was not the movement that had triggered her senses.</p><p>She began building chakra into her hand as she slowly made her way across the room. Once to the window, Sakura looked out and saw only the empty street below, and a full moon above. She could not see anyone, and sensed no chakra close by, so she turned around to scan her room. </p><p>It was the same as always, but she found herself almost disappointed at not having found anyone. The thrill that had built in her stomach dissipated and she released the chakra from her hand. With a sigh, Sakura began walking towards her bed again.</p><p>Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed her from behind and wrapped themselves around her chest. Though there wasn’t great pressure, she could feel them hold like iron straps and pull her against a male body. She immediately felt her heart began to pound and tried to take notice of the figure behind her. She could tell he was not much taller than herself, perhaps 4 or 5 centimeters, and even with the taut muscles she could feel tensing and strong beneath his clothes, she knew her own chakra-infused power could easily vanquish his grasp. </p><p>She closed her eyes to focus her energy when lips grazed her ear and a voice whispered, “Come now, Cherry Blossom, you sure you want to do that?” Her chakra instantly diffused and green eyes went wide with surprise. </p><p>She knew that voice, even spoken with soft, husky words! As Sakura looked down at the arms encircling her, she confirmed what her racing mind chattered. Black silk. The Akatsuki member that had plagued her thoughts and dreams had materialized.</p><p>She slowly swallowed, despite her suddenly dry throat, before speaking. “Wha...what are you doing here?” She tried to sound sure and confident, but even she could hear the hesitation and slight shake to her voice. </p><p>“I’m here to see the one who took the life of Sasori of the Akatsuki. We have unfinished business, hnn,” His words caused a tingling in her spine and the hairs stood up on the back of Sakura’s neck. She swallowed again, squared her slender shoulders, then replied, “I am the disciple of the Lady Tsunade of the Sannin. I will not be taken down easily.” </p><p>The sound of gentle laughter filled the young ninja’s ears and she frowned. “What is funny about what I said? I killed your partner, did I not?”</p><p>“I never said I was here for a fight, hnn. I simply said we have unfinished business. Sasori was very powerful and cunning, yet you managed to best him. It has caught the attention of the Akatsuki.  Sasori was always going on about his art and eternity. I knew that it was a lie. Nothing is eternal. Art is an explosion! It is a flash of power and brilliance.... and beauty. Much like yourself.” A pale hand slid up to Sakura’s hair, tangling fingers into the pink strands. </p><p>The girl held her breath as she listened to words unlike any ever spoken to her before. She had always been called weak, ugly, and annoying. Just today at Ichiraku’s Ino had called her billboard brow and useless at least three times. It was hard for her to grasp what this missing nin was telling her. He was the kind of person that had betrayed his village, as all of the Akatsuki members had, but then again so had Sasuke. She bit her lip and continued to listen.</p><p>“Come with us. Be the art and destructive flash of beauty you have always denied in yourself.” He again leaned into her ear and his golden hair draped across her shoulder and there was a rustling of silken material as he suddenly draped an article of clothing into her arms. A robe of red clouds on black silk. She was stricken mute at his proposition. </p><p>Moonlight flashed off of silver as he held a ring before her face. It had a purple stone with ‘jewel’ inscribed on the face. “I think this ring suites you very well indeed. A jewel that is precious and valuable. The Akatsuki can help you step into your fate, hnn. Come with me and we can create art together!”</p><p>The feeling of yearning that had followed her these last several weeks came flooding back. Only now instead of a vague nagging in the back of her heart, it filled her very soul. Sakura turned to look into the face of the man for the first time since his arrival. He was starting intently at her and the bright blue eye that she remembered was now dark, almost grey, with some unnamed emotion. ‘Could it be desire??’ she wondered to herself. </p><p>The memories of how powerful she felt as she fought Sasori with both their lives on the line floated through her mind as she made her decision. No one in Konahagakure took her seriously. Sasuke was never going to return, but it now occurred to her what was in his heart when he left. Power, desires fulfilled, following a path that your soul knew what was right for you. She could now relate and even sympathize for her old crush. With determination she nodded and allowed Deidara to slide the cold ring onto her thumb. </p><p>She would join the Akatsuki and step into her destiny. People would learn that she was not the useless girl they always thought she was, even if it meant crushing them under her feet as she had done to Sasori. Sakura turned fully to her new partner and he took her in a deep and very possessive kiss. She knew at that moment this liaison would be very satisfying.</p><p>There was no more than just a soft rustling that could have just been the sound of curtains swaying in the breeze and the room was empty. The full moon pouring in to bathe the void in a cold, white glow.</p><p> </p><p>			FIN</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>